Garment support apparatus for a luggage handle

ABSTRACT

A garment support apparatus for luggage having an extendable handle supported by at least one shaft. The garment support apparatus can include a pair of garment support aims coupled to the shaft and pivotable between an extended position and a retracted position, a resilient member coupled to each garment support arm and adapted to extend the garment support arm and to maintain the garment support arm in the extended position, and a locking member engageable with each garment support arm so as to maintain the garment support arm in the retracted position.

BACKGROUND

Luggage and suitcases are manufactured in a variety of types and sizes. Typically, luggage is designed to store articles of clothing and other items in the interior of the luggage. However, during travel, a person may desire to remove an article of clothing, for example, while waiting for a flight or transportation, due to changes in temperature, and so forth. Typically, luggage is not suited for keeping articles of clothing on the exterior of the luggage. As such, travelers who desire to remove articles of clothing will often wrap their coats around a luggage or suitcase handle, leading the clothing to become wrinkled.

Furthermore, people frequently hang their garments on the extended handle of the luggage. However, when the luggage needs to be moved, the garment needs to be moved or removed to allow the person to grip the handle of the luggage and to minimize the damage to the garment. It is therefore desirable to provide a way to conveniently maintain articles of clothing on the exterior of a piece of luggage while minimizing wrinkling of the clothing, and to allow the garment to be supported on the exterior of the luggage while the luggage is being moved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a garment support apparatus for luggage having an extendable handle supported by at least one shaft is disclosed. The garment support apparatus can include a pair of garment support arms coupled to the at least one shaft and pivotable between an extended position and a retracted position, a resilient member coupled to each garment support arm and adapted to extend the garment support arm and to maintain the garment support arm in the extended position, and a locking member engageable with each garment support arm so as to maintain the garment support arm in the retracted position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1 a-1 c show a first exemplary embodiment of a garment support apparatus.

FIGS. 2 a-2 b show a second exemplary embodiment of a garment support apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention herein. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description, discussion of several terms used herein follows.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

Generally referring to exemplary FIGS. 1 a-2 b, exemplary embodiments of a luggage having retractable garment support arms can be described. Retractable arms may be built into at least one handle support arm of a luggage, suitcase, or other carrying device, and can be deployed when the retractable handle is extended, and can be retracted and locked into place. Each garment support arm may be pivotally coupled to the handle support arm, and may include resilient members to support the arm in an extended position.

FIGS. 1 a-1 c illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a luggage handle 100 supported by two shafts 102 and including retractable garment support arms 106. Each garment support arm 106 may have an elongated body 105 having a proximal end 107 and a distal end 109. The pair of garment support arms 106 may have any desired shape for supporting a garment thereon, for example, rectangular, half-oval, a clothes-hanger shape, or any shape required to adapt to the design of the handle support shaft 102.

Each garment support arm 106 be pivotably coupled to a handle support shaft 102 at proximal end 107, for example via a hinge pin 110. Each garment support arm 106 may pivot between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position, distal end 109 of arm 106 may be disposed proximate to the corresponding support shaft 102, and body 105 may be substantially parallel to the support shaft. In the extended position, distal end 109 may extend away from support shaft 102 such that body 105 is at a desired angle to shaft 102.

Each garment support arm 106 can be received within a slot 104 defined within shaft 102. Each garment support arm 106 can include a notch 112, which can come in contact with shaft 102 when arm 106 is extended, so as to define a limit for the angle of rotation of arm 106. The location of notch 112 can be adjusted during manufacture to set the maximum angle of rotation for retractable arm 106. For example, the angle of rotation can be about 90° in relation to the handle support shaft, or any other desired angle. Alternatively, the notch may be adjustably coupled to garment support arm 106 and may be adjusted by the user as desired so as to alter the maximum angle of rotation to a desired angle.

A resilient member 108, for example a spring, may be provided to maintain garment support arm 106 in an extended position, as shown in FIG. 1 b. The resilient member 108 may be disposed, for example, within slot 104 and may be operatively coupled to both shaft 102 and garment support arm 106.

When in a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1 c, garment support arms 106 may be maintained in place by a releasable locking mechanism. For example, the locking mechanism can include a movable and spring-biased locking member 114 that is received within a corresponding recess 116 on a garment support arm 106. The locking member 114 and recess 116 may be provided in any desired location, and in any form or configuration that enables system 100 to function as described herein. In some exemplary embodiments, locking member 114 may be user-operable, such that locking member 114 may be manually withdrawn by the user from recess 116, thereby allowing arm 106 to be moved into the extended position by resilient member 108. In other exemplary embodiments, handle 100 can further include a spring-biased release button 118 operatively coupled to locking member 114 such that depressing button 118 withdraws locking member 114 from recess 116, allowing the arm 106 to be moved into the extended position by resilient member 108. To retract arms 106, the user can manually fold arms 106 into slot 104 defined within handle support shafts 102, whereupon locking member 114 can be placed within recess 116 so as to and lock each arm 106 in the retracted position. At this point, luggage handle 100 may be retracted into the luggage body.

FIGS. 2 a-2 b illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a luggage handle 200 supported by a single-post retractable handle support shaft 202 and including retractable garment support arms 206, with garment support arms 206 in a retracted position. Each garment support arm 206 may have an elongated body 205 having a proximal end 207 and a distal end 209. The pair of garment support arms 206 may have any desired shape for supporting a garment thereon, for example, rectangular, half-oval, a clothes-hanger shape, or any shape required to adapt to the design of the handle support shaft 202.

Each garment support arm 206 be pivotably coupled to a handle support shaft 202 at proximal end 207, for example via a hinge pin 210. Each arm 206 may pivot between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position, distal end 209 of arm 206 may be disposed proximate to the corresponding support shaft 202, and body 205 may be oriented substantially parallel to the support shaft 202. In the extended position, distal end 209 may extend away from support shaft 202 such that body 205 is at a desired angle to shaft 202.

Each garment support arm 206 can be received within a slot 204 defined within shaft 202. Each garment support arm 206 can include a notch 212, which can come in contact with shaft 202 when arm 206 is extended, so as to define a limit for the angle of rotation of arm 206. The location of notch 212 can be adjusted during manufacture to set the angle of rotation for the garment support arm 206. For example, the angle of rotation can be about 90° in relation to the handle support shaft, or any other desired angle. Alternatively, the notch may be adjustably coupled to garment support arm 206 and may be adjusted by the user as desired so as to alter the maximum angle of rotation to a desired angle.

A resilient member 208, for example a spring, may be provided to maintain garment support arm 206 in an extended position, as shown in FIG. 2 a. The resilient member 208 may be disposed, for example, within slot 204 and may be operatively coupled to both shaft 202 and garment support arm 206.

When in a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 2 b, garment support arms 206 may be maintained in place by a releasable locking mechanism. For example, the locking mechanism can include a movable and spring-biased locking member 214 that is received within a corresponding recess 216 on a garment support arm 206. The locking member 214 and recess 216 may be provided in any desired location, and in any form or configuration that enables system 200 to function as described herein. In some exemplary embodiments, locking member 214 may be user-operable, such that locking member 214 may be manually withdrawn by the user from recess 216, thereby allowing arm 106 to be moved into the extended position by resilient member 208. In other exemplary embodiments, handle 200 can further include a spring-biased release button 218 operatively coupled to locking member 214 such that depressing button 218 withdraws locking member 214 from recess 216, allowing the arm 206 to be moved into the extended position by resilient member 208. To retract arms 206, the user can manually fold arms 206 into slot 204 defined within handle support shafts 202, whereupon locking member 214 can be placed within recess 216 so as to and lock each arm 206 in the retracted position. At this point, luggage handle 200 may be retracted into the luggage body.

The embodiments described herein therefore allow a user to conveniently maintain a garment on a piece of luggage by placing the garment over the extended garment support arms which are pivotally coupled to the handle support shaft of the luggage. The embodiments described herein further allow the user to move the luggage using the handle while keeping the garment disposed over the garment support arms. Additionally, the garment support arms can be retracted when not needed, and the luggage handle may be extended and used to move the luggage without extending the garment support arms.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment support apparatus for luggage having an extendable handle supported by at least one shaft, comprising: a pair of garment support arms coupled to the at least one shaft and pivotable between an extended position and a retracted position; a resilient member coupled to each garment support arm and adapted to extend the garment support arm and to maintain the garment support arm in the extended position; and at least one locking member engageable with each garment support arm so as to maintain the garment support arm in the retracted position.
 2. The garment support apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the garment support arms are in a retracted position, the garment support arms are oriented substantially parallel to the shaft.
 3. The garment support apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the garment support arms are in a retracted position, the garment support arms are received within a slot defined in the shaft.
 4. The garment support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locking member is receivable within a recess defined in each garment support arm.
 5. The garment support apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a user-operable button operatively engaged with the locking member so as to withdraw the locking member from the recess.
 6. The garment support apparatus of claim 1, wherein each garment support arm is pivotally coupled to the shaft by a hinge pin.
 7. The garment support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a stopping member for limiting the angle of each garment support arm relative to the shaft, when the garment support arm is in the extended position.
 8. The garment support apparatus of claim 8, wherein the stopping member is adjustable.
 9. A garment support apparatus for luggage having an extendable handle supported by at least one shaft, comprising: garment supporting means coupled to the at least one shaft, the garment supporting means being pivotable between a retracted position and an extended position; spring means for moving the garment supporting means to the extended position and maintaining the garment supporting means in the extended position; and locking means for engaging the garment supporting means so as to maintain the garment supporting means in the retracted position.
 10. The garment support apparatus of claim 9, further comprising actuating means for disengaging the locking means from the garment supporting means.
 11. A method of deploying a garment support hanger from a luggage handle, comprising: providing a luggage handle having at least one support shaft, a pair of garment support arms coupled to the at least one shaft and pivotable between an extended position and a retracted position, a resilient member coupled to each garment support arm and adapted to extend the garment support arm and to maintain the garment support arm in the extended position, and a locking member engageable with each garment support arm so as to maintain the garment support arm in the retracted position. moving the pair of garment support arms from the retracted position to the extended position; and placing a garment over the pair of garment support arms. 